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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RainOfSteel" data-source="post: 3337789" data-attributes="member: 24460"> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: The animation is fantastic, the storylines (both the episodic and the arcs) gripping, and the designs stellar.  I've been buying the DVDs the instant they come out.  Quite simply a masterpiece of the craft.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig A continuation of the previous season.  The production value is off a notch as it shifts to a slightly different style, producing different color tones and sharpness.  However, one notch off for this series is still three notches ahead of just about everything else.  A darker, grittier storyline awaits for this season.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rah Xephon: A complicated weaving of interpersonal stories set amidst the background of an Earth timeline gone awry with the appearance of a new race, the Mu, who appear human but whose veins and arteries are filled with a blue to almost purplish substance that separates them from the rest of mankind forever.  The people of the story struggle to come to grips with their past, present, and future, while trying to win their side human/Mu war (and there are more than just two sides to this war).  And inside the human/Mu conflict, and the conflict of the souls of the characters, is the conflict over Rah Xephon, and who will be the next to tune the world.  I was impressed by the ending, for the series actually did end, though I must say I wasn't really happy with that ending.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gunslinger Girl: A powerful tale of the ability of government to exploit anything, even its children, to an unlimited degree, in the most monstrous of ways, in order to accomplish its dirtiest work.  The relationships between the girls and their handlers, and between the girls, is touching; the dissociation between their touching relationships and the stark reality of the violence and bloodiness of their work is riveting; the action and choreography is excellent; the animation is stunning; and the soundtrack is beautiful.  Get it.  Watch it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Last Exile: An entire, fully realized world.  It seems a grand tribute to the masters of the past, especially Miyazaki, in a way that salutes, rather than robs.  The animation quality is the best I've ever seen, and the soundtrack is staggering in its complex triumph.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Outlaw Star: It possesses the appearance of a complete and developed background, history, and milieu in which everything fits together with clarity and purpose.  Not all of it was explained, but enough to make it all understandable.  The story of Jean Starwind and the quest for the Galactic Ley Line was of great interest to me, with many memorable characters and moments along the way.  Especially Hot-Ice Hilda and her fate.  Good animation, excellent battle choreography, a reasonably structured, communicated, and consistent Science Fiction setting, and a soundtrack that I liked a lot (especially the title and credits songs).  It even found itself an excellent ending and politely showed us some snippets of the characters lives for a short span of time after the end of the story (a major plus with me).  The only thing I don't like is that there has been nothing since then.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Macross Plus OAV: This story has it all.  A love triangle.  Old school rivalry.  Misunderstanding and misidentification aplenty.  Transformational journey (although with a sad touch).  A Can't-lose contest/competition.  Conspiracy.  Suspense.  Action.  Adventure.  Actual, genuine, real Science Fiction.  Great characters and characterization.  And, as if all that weren't enough, the animation is stunning, the score is unearthly in its beauty, and the mecha and character designs are a wonder to gaze upon.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Super Dimension Century: Orguss II OAV: A lot is packed into this six volume OAV, but it is well worth it.  An almost traditional mixture of action, romance, mecha, and just a dash of tragedy.  The stellar quality pre-CG animation is beautiful, and I wish more series could look this good.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ghost in the Shell: The Movie: Many have credited this movie with the modern scale of anime popularity in the US.  The story is the journey of Major Kusinagi Motoko, from her never changing role as the premiere operative of Japan's elite counter-terrorism unit, Section 9, to a transformation into . . . I'll leave that to those who have seen the movie.  This movie deals with what it means to be human, and what it takes to be human, and we discover that flesh and bone alone are not enough to allow anyone to make the cut.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Patlabor II: A number of my friends have told me they found this to be boring and ponderous.  I found it to be an almost entirely suspense based conspiracy thriller soaring in a higher plane of socio-political engineering and terrorism absent an obvious responsibility claimant.  Slowly, ever so slowly, our Patlabor unit leaders are drawn into the story, but are never quite fooled by the story being fed to them, until they turn the tables and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  It is not a character driven story, to be sure, but then that is not what the movie is about.  And, of course, the animation quality is a mind-blower.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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